Page 46 of Dusk Macabre

“Do you struggle with focus and concentration, Brittney?” Adrian asked. I shook my head. “Then you should know we don’t want you here either. Or rather, we don’t want to be in this repugnant Realm with its wayward citizens. There is a reason we traveled here, and that reason is you.”

“Me?” Leander muttered something under his breath as I glanced back and forth.

Adrian’s lips pressed into a flat line. “You’ve come into contact with something very precious.” For some reason, my mind went to Kiam, but that couldn’t have been what they meant. My heart skipped a beat.

“We know you’ve been in contact with it, the residue is all over you. Your job is to lead us to it.” His fingers gripped the armrests.

It was pretty cool how my shoes matched the dress so perfectly. Why had I never dressed like this back home? The tiny gems sparkled in the morning light as I twisted my foot back and forth.

“She’s like one of those squirrels we saw,” Leander said to Adrian as he set his cup down on the table.

“Lead you to what? I took a shower, there’s nothing on me but maybe some soap residue.”

Adrian flicked a hand toward me, and I fell from the couch as pain splintered through my body. My scalp burned and the muscles in my thighs felt like they were ripping from my bones as my vision went white. The air was ripped from my lungs as I wheezed through the agony of having all my pain redelivered on a silver platter.

Every cell of my body fought for survival until I didn’t even know where I was. Finally, the intensity ebbed and when I opened my eyes, I gasped for breath. Adrian stood beside my prone body, looming over me while Leander chuckled, resting his elbows on his knees.

“You don’t know, hm? Have you changed your mind yet?” He asked, offering his hand.

No way was I going to touch him. Pushing myself up, I remained on my knees. “I’m not messing with you, I swear. I died in somebody’s trap and then found myself here. I don’t know anything about this place, other than there’s demons and vampires. And humans. I swear to God.”

Leander grinned and stood, coming around the low table. His shoes were inches from my knees. He rubbed his chin before pressing a finger to the top of my forehead. I flinched and Adrian grabbed my shoulders. Then, Leander dragged the digit downward.

Warmth filled my body, soothing any residual pain as heat began to bloom between my legs. My breasts felt like they’d swelled, and I found myself peering down. My skin flushed and he withdrew his finger, but the sensation didn’t stop.

His finger returned, tracing a line along the delicate flesh behind my ear, and I rocked my hips against my heels as an entirely new type of ache began to take hold. I felt my eyes shut, and then hands were everywhere.

I didn’t know which one of them it was, but the heat of someone’s breath caressed my neck while a hand gripped my hips. My thigh was being stroked and my hair lightly pulled as my back arched against the floor. The touch moved higher until my legs spread of their own accord, and I found myself leaning side to side, chasing the illicit caresses.

“So predictable,” Adrian muttered, and all the sensations stopped.

“Oh my God, what did you do?” I cried out as I flung the skirt of the dress back down.

I sprang up from the floor and whirled around, searching for the exit, but Leander grabbed me by the waist and tossed me onto the sofa.

“Sit down,” Adrian commanded. His voice was dark, full of authority, and I found myself complying.

Leander backed away as he approached. “That should have encouraged your memory.”

“You molested me.”

“Did I? Did we? Or did we use what was already there?” He raised a single eyebrow.

“I don’t understand.”

The redhead huffed and then let out a deep breath. “Just torture her; this is going to take forever. The emperor expects speedy results.”

“Let me worry about him.” Adrian faced me again. “Leander has many valuable suggestions, but since you are dealing with significant mental deficiencies, we must spell it out for you. We want our diamond back.”

CHAPTER 17

Brittney

Diamond? What the hell was he talking about? “What diamond?”

No sooner had I asked the question than I remembered the shine left on my fingers from the bone fragment I’d ended up with.

“You know something.”